NCAA Permanently Bans Three Players in Sports-Betting Manipulation Scheme
Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver were placed on the permanently ineligible list after the NCAA concluded they bet on themselves and conspired to influence prop bets during the 2024-25 season.
The NCAA has placed three men's college basketball players on its permanently ineligible list after concluding they conspired in a sports-betting related game manipulation scheme and wagered on themselves and one another during the 2024-25 season.
Mykell Robinson of Fresno State, Steven Vasquez of San Jose State and Jalen Weaver of Fresno State were found to have exchanged information about betting lines and placed bets that the NCAA said were intended to manipulate outcomes to win prop bets. All three student-athletes were released from their teams and are no longer enrolled at their respective schools.
The NCAA's review was prompted when a sports-betting integrity firm flagged suspicious activity on several player prop bets tied to Robinson. According to the association's findings, Robinson, who had been a member of Fresno State's roster, and Vasquez, who transferred to San Jose State after the 2023-24 season, exchanged text messages in January about Robinson’s intent to “underperform in several statistical categories during one regular-season game.”
The NCAA report said Robinson, Vasquez and a third party placed a combined $2,200 on Robinson’s unders in that game; the wagers were successful and produced a $15,950 payout. The report also detailed a December 2024 incident in which Robinson placed a bet on Weaver, and Weaver placed a $50 prop bet on himself and won $260. The parties involved had "exchanged information about their respective betting lines" prior to that game, the report said.
The NCAA said Robinson placed 13 prop bets on himself, winning a total of $600. It also concluded that two of the three players manipulated their performance in games to ensure their bets would win. The association's decision to declare the players permanently ineligible bars them from competing in NCAA sports again.
According to the report, Vasquez and Robinson did not cooperate with NCAA investigators. Weaver "participate[d] and agreed to the violation in his case," the NCAA said. All three players were removed from their teams and their schools reported that they were no longer enrolled following the investigation.
The NCAA's action is the latest in a wave of enforcement and scrutiny related to gambling in college sports. Last fall, Notre Dame suspended its men’s swimming program for at least a year after an investigation uncovered multiple gambling violations. Federal authorities have also investigated allegations of point-shaving and game-fixing, most recently involving Temple guard Hysier Miller.
The NCAA has increased its use of monitoring systems and partnerships with integrity firms to detect suspicious wagering activity as legal sports betting has expanded. The association treats any effort to influence game outcomes for wagering purposes as among the most serious infractions, often resulting in permanent ineligibility for student-athletes found to have participated.
Representatives for Fresno State and San Jose State did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The NCAA did not disclose whether it referred the matter to law enforcement, and there was no immediate public indication of criminal charges related to the conduct described in its report.
The bans underscore ongoing challenges for college athletics as the prevalence of legal sports betting grows and technology makes it easier for outside firms and regulators to detect unusual wagering patterns. The NCAA said it will continue to investigate and enforce rules intended to protect the integrity of competition and the welfare of student-athletes.